Water Skiers With Disabilities Association

Using The Mid-Buoy Slalom Course

Skiers with disabilities need little or no adaptations in order to ski with their able-bodied peers, while others may require special consideration in order to compete. The main adaptation is the use of the mid-buoy slalom course. To view a diagram of the slalom course, click here (pdf).

The mid-buoy slalom course is 21 feet (6.4 meters) from center (see diagram/link – dimension “H”). With enough advance warning many clubs and tournament organizers are more than willing to place a mid-buoy course in to accommodate the sit skier. Typically, the “cinder block method” is used to set up mid-buoy course. A further time saver is that it is not necessary to pull the wider course when the sit skier’s course is put in.

  Other adaptations may be as simple as hand scoring a slalom pass because the skier’s opening pass is slower than their age division’s “legal” opening pass. Still other individuals may need slightly more assistance on the part of the tournament organizer.

  It is interesting to note that many clubs have started leaving the mid-buoy course in all the time as it is a great teaching tool for kids and those just starting out in the sport of tournament skiing.